


you can't take it with you

by Capitola



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canonical Character Death, Episode: c01e115 The Chapter Closes, Gen, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24748615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capitola/pseuds/Capitola
Summary: “Sorry, it’s just, promises, you know? There’s a lot I can’t keep, but —” And he wrenches the boot off his foot and chucks it at his sister’s feet.Or: Vax'ildan dies with his toes out.
Relationships: Vax'ildan & Vex'ahlia (Critical Role)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	you can't take it with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nevereverever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevereverever/gifts).



> Someone cleverer than me has probably done this already, but w/e. nevereverever mentioned the idea and it gave me the excuse to avoid my other writing for an evening. As always, astercrash proved herself invaluable when I couldn't think of a title.

This is it then, he knows. Vax turns to go, feels druidcraft welling up in his fingertips for the snowdrops, some last little thing to remember him by. Last little thing —

“Wait. Wait a moment.” The scene around him stops. For a moment, no one is crying, and everything is still. Even the Mother of Ravens halts, but she gives a slight nod to him, as if to say, “get on with it.” He can almost imagine her arching an eyebrow.

He turns around, passing a hand over his forehead, making a “silly me” face. It’s stupid, it’s not the stupidest possible thing he could think to do at this moment but it’s on the list. But — 

“I just forgot —” And Vax knows the Lady is humoring him, not making him stand and walk to her like a puppet. She’s giving him his own death, even if he’s decided his own death looks like this. So he does his best not to smirk as he sits down on the ground and starts unlacing his right boot. But it is a little bit funny.

Percy breaks the tableau of mourners, interrupted in their mourning. “What on —”

“Sorry, it’s just, promises, you know? There’s a lot I can’t keep, but —” And Vax wrenches the boot off his foot and chucks it at his sister’s feet. He then sets to unlacing the other one. He should have had the laces replaced on these while he had time, he can feel where the leather’s gone soft.

Vex looks at the boot, and then looks back at him, eyes brimming with tears and something else, almost like a smile and almost like murder. “What the _hell_ —” 

“I promised you! The boots! They’re yours, alright?” He’s already unlacing the other one, already halfway through it. There’s one last thing he can do before he goes and, unfortunately, it’s this. 

“I don’t want a pair of boots! I want a brother!” 

“Well, too bad! You’ve got a dead brother, but a very nice pair of boots.” And he aims the second boot so it whizzes just past her shoulder. 

“Asshole!” She shouts, and then claps a hand over her mouth, because for a moment she forgot that she was trying to be careful with all the last words she might ever say to him. “I love you.”

He smiles at her, and looks back at his feet, which look sort of small and weary. With everything that’s gone on in the last gods-know-how-many hours he’s worn holes in the toes of both his socks. _You never hear of heroes dying with their toes out_ , he thinks. _Maybe I’ll start a fashion._

And he picks himself up, dusts himself off, and waves to them as he follows after the Raven Queen again. He hopes they’ll remember the other things he said as his last words, he put a lot more thought into them. 

But he also hopes they’ll hold onto the boots.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos keep the brain station running <3


End file.
